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Real estate runs in Keith Taggart's family

Keith Taggart, new president of the Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors, has at least seven relatives in the industry.

BY DYRINDA TYSON Dyrinda@gmail.com •
Published: February 2, 2013

MUSTANG — When Marolyn Pryor decided to step down as Coldwell Banker Select's managing broker here in 2008, she knew the perfect candidate to replace her: her own son, Keith Taggart. And that's what she told the company.

Coldwell Banker Select has this 3,702-square-foot home at 2501 Fontaine Place listed for sale for $529,900. The home, built in 2009, has four beds, 3 1/2 baths and a four-car garage. It is in Canadian County in the Yukon school district. Photo provided

“I didn't know if he would or not, but I said he'd be perfect,” Pryor recalled.

This was a serious move for a company that rested on the shoulders of Pryor herself and carried her name for many years. The former schoolteacher started Marolyn Pryor Realtors in 1977 after moving from Weatherford to Mustang. The company grew over the years, eventually employing 125 agents in Mustang, Oklahoma City, Yukon, Tuttle and Moore.

When Marolyn Pryor Realtors merged with firms in Tulsa and Sapulpa in summer 2008 to form Coldwell Banker Select, it created the largest real estate firm in state history in terms of agents — about 700 in all.

Luckily, Taggart was game. After a career as a real estate attorney that took him to Boston and back, he recognized a perfect opportunity when he saw it. And he took it.

“It was a perfect fit because I had worked with these people for so many years,” he said. “And some of the people here I've known since the '80s — they're still here selling real estate.”

As 2013 president of the Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors, Taggart said he wants to extend the group's reach further into the community. Last year's president, Lorna Koeninger, worked to bring on board more affiliate members such as mortgage firms and title companies.

“We really did that,” Taggart said. “We built up the affiliate membership and had them really involved with all of our events. I want to take it a step further, and I want to go to the businesses in Oklahoma City. I want to reach out to a lot of the corporations that may not necessarily be directly involved in real estate, but I think may have an interest in real estate because of their employees. I mean, every employee needs a home.”

Real estate is a family affair for Taggart. He identified at least seven relatives in the business, including his grandmother, mother, a niece and a couple of aunts.

As president, Taggart steps into a role his mother has held twice before, in 1988 and 2008.

Things have changed considerably even since 2008, Pryor said, just in terms of technology. The more muscular programming underpinning the Multiple Listing Service, for example, has propelled it to the top of its game.